Time to Make a Change
by NeonDomino
Summary: Written for Quidditch League - Round 1 - Hermione is unwillingly sent back to the past to make a change. She never expected to fall in love. Hermione/Remus.


Written for:

Quidditch League: Holyhead Harpies - Chaser 1 - Write Chaser 2's NOTP (Remus/Hermione). Optional prompts: (4) Image of camera and photos on blanket. (14) Quote: The problem with people is they forget that most of the time it's the small things that count. - Theodore Finch, All the Bright Places (5) Dialogue: "I'm happier than I've ever been before."

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry - Task: Write about a strict rule being broken - (Song) Truly, Madly, Deeply - Savage Garden

Acrostic-y Challenge - Time Travel

The FRIENDS Competition - Write about a new chapter in someone's life

Honeydukes Challenge: Chocolate Frogs - [character] Remus Lupin, [restriction] Only Order members, [genre] Romance, [trope] Time travel, [emotion] Happiness (bonus points if I include a muggle sweet)

* * *

 **A/N**

This is an AU which changes the rules of time-travel. It includes: mates, time-travel and Voldemort-wins.

 _The italics between each section are song lyrics._

* * *

 **Time to Make a Change**

* * *

 _~.~_

 _A new beginning_

 _A reason for living_

 _~.~_

The order had been given by Harry himself. There was no higher order. It was unusual for a seventeen year old boy to tell people three times his age what to do, but they looked for a leader and of course it fell to the boy-who-lived.

Hermione was terrified of what Harry wanted. It was more than a mission to guard some place or deliver a message without alerting the ever-growing amount of dark supporters. It was giving up everything she had left.

But then again, hadn't she already done that time and time again? Once when choosing to go to Hogwarts, again when giving up her parents and a third time when the war was lost? There wasn't much remaining for her in this time. It was a small amount of Order members against the world. It was a losing fight but the alternative was much worse.

Harry was reckless and things were even more dangerous. There was little chance they would even reach Christmas.

But Harry gave the order to sacrifice her current life. It had to be her. She was a Muggle-born. She had no previous ties to the wizarding world. She could change everything. "Even me," Harry said, softly. "Do what you need to do, Hermione, even if it means I'm not born. Just stop all of this."

It was the one order she had refused, but Harry was reckless and desperate. She had never considered he would put the time turner on her as she slept before shaking her awake. It took her a moment to get her bearings with Harry leaning over her, his eyes begging her to forgive him.

"What did you do?"

His wand tapped against her neck and she looked down at the time-turner. She gasped and her hands moved up to remove it, but it was too late.

"Be happy with him," Harry ordered. Hermione had no time to wonder what he meant before she was spinning. She had travelled hours before but it was nothing like this!

Her fingers fumbled with the time turner, trying to make it stop. She couldn't. Whatever spell Harry had used was making the time turner bring her to a day and time that Harry had already chosen, breaking the rules and laws. After all, she knew Harry wasn't sending her back just a few hours.

She may not have wanted this mission, but like it or not, it was her mission now.

She'd do what she could to fix everything.

 _~.~_

 _I'll be your hope I'll be your love_

 _Be everything that you need_

 _~.~_

Remus couldn't tear his eyes away. He had noticed the girl from the start of the meeting and there had been something so _right_ about her. Something about her that _called_ to him.

James was busy with Lily and Sirius was flirting with the Prewett twins and Mary, and Remus had brought a book with him to read whilst waiting. He had opened the book with every intention to read, but his gaze drifting up to the fascinating girl sitting at the front. He could only look as he was too scared to approach her in case he made a fool of himself.

Her gaze moved slowly around the room, examining each and every person. Remus thought she was committing each person to memory before her eyes found the next Order member. Her observations only lasted a moment, but he knew she was taking everything in around her.

Finally her gaze moved to him and their eyes met. Hers widened slightly at the sight of him and a smile appeared on her lips.

His own lips curved up into a shy smile and he couldn't look away.

Her own smile grew and her gaze drifted over his face for a long moment before she turned her attention away. Remus let out a breath he didn't realise he had been holding. He hoped he passed whatever inspection she was giving them.

Her gaze shifted to Sirius and Remus felt a strange rush of jealousy. Her expression had changed slightly upon seeing him. Her eyes hadn't widened, but there had been a flicker of sadness in her eyes and her gaze was on him the longest.

It wasn't long before her gaze darted back to Remus. The smile appeared again and the jealousy quickly disappeared. No one else had been treated to that breathtaking smile. He smiled back, managing something more than the shy smile he had already offered.

She stood up. Her eyes were still on him, clearly intent on heading over. She stopped as the door opened and Dumbledore walked in.

Remus sighed quietly. Maybe she'd come over after the meeting?

"The meeting has started. Take your seats," Dumbledore began. Some people sat down and the others moved to stand around the edge of the room.

"We have a new member joining the Order and we have new information that could help us with the war," Dumbledore continued. Remus sat forward. Dumbledore _never_ got straight to the point which meant that something had happened—something had changed.

"Hey, Peter's missing," James said, looking around. "Should we wait for—"

"Peter isn't here," Dumbledore replied. "I'll ask the three of you to stay behind afterwards to discuss Peter, but we should move on to the other business first." His gaze moved between the three Marauders briefly.

Remus glanced at his friends who looked as confused as he was. He hoped that Peter was alright, though Dumbledore would have said if he wasn't. Maybe he went on a mission?

"The second order of business is our new Order member," Dumbledore continued, "This is Hermione Granger. She's under our protection now due to a Death Eater attack."

"There's no record of any in the last couple of days?" Marlene called, frowning. "Did we miss something?"

"This was something we didn't know about at the time. Hermione was captured by Death Eaters and managed to escape," Dumbledore explained. "So I need someone who I can trust to give her somewhere to stay."

"I'll do it," Benjy Fenwick offered politely.

The jealousy appeared even more quickly this time. "Or she can stay here and I'll watch out for her," Remus said loudly. Benjy had dated two girls in the past six months. He couldn't be trusted.

Dumbledore smiled. "Miss Granger, I believe you have your choice."

Hermione smiled, her gaze lingering on Remus. "I'll be more useful if I stay here."

Some members of the Order began muttering to each other and Remus knew it was because they didn't trust him. He stayed quiet. Let them distrust him all they liked. His friends trusted him and Hermione wanted to stay with him and not Benjy and those were the things that mattered.

Dumbledore cleared his throat loudly, drawing all attention back to himself and began to talk about other business including some missions that were suddenly cancelled and a private mission he wanted to take Sirius on regarding his brother. Remus tried to focus but his eyes and attention kept drifting to Hermione Granger.

 _~.~_

 _All that you need will surely come_

 _~.~_

"Moony, why did you offer?" Sirius asked, as he and James cornered Remus once the meeting ended.

Remus shrugged. "Benjy isn't a good guy. She can't stay with him."

The pair looked at each other and grinned knowingly. Remus tried not to look too obvious.

"You usually get on with Benjy, and now suddenly he's not a good guy?" James asked, trying not to laugh. "Remus, do you fancy her?"

Sirius turned to look at Hermione.

"I guess she's not too bad to look at. Her rack isn't very—"

A small growl came from Remus' throat, causing Sirius to stop talking. His eyes widened for a second before he grinned. "Possessive, aren't you?" he said in delight. "James, I think our little Moony is in love."

"Remus. It's about time you showed an interest in someone." James said. "If you need any help in wooing her—"

"Or, if you need some help from someone who doesn't use the word 'wooing', I'm here," Sirius insisted.

"I'm just trying to be friendly, and…" he trailed off as Lily escorted Hermione over.

"Boys, this is Hermione. Hermione, this is Remus, and over here you have James and Sirius."

Sirius winked at her and Remus resisted rolling his eyes. James grinned and greeted Hermione, and she turned her gaze to him.

"Remus is one of the nicest, sweetest guys I know," Lily said, giving Hermione a meaningful look. "So, Remus - I was telling Hermione that you know the area well. Since she's staying here with you…"

"Did someone say a picnic?" Sirius asked. "That sounds like an excellent idea, James, good suggestion. Did someone say six o'clock? What do you say, Hermione?"

"I didn't say anything," James muttered, rolling his eyes.

"I'd like that," Hermione said, amused.

"Me too," Remus replied. He was relieved that Sirius was so forward and had helped him because he never would have gotten the courage to ask her himself. Plus, a picnic was more affordable than a fancy restaurant.

Hermione looked resigned as she allowed Lily to pull her away, talking about what Hermione should wear, and Remus stood up.

"I guess I better get shopping then," he said. "What should I buy?"

"Strawberries and condoms," Sirius offered. James slapped him on the back of the head causing Sirius to yelp. "I'll come with you."

Sirius glanced longingly towards Fabian Prewett. "This is Moony's big day and he needs me more," he decided, standing up.

Remus grinned at his friends. He knew he could rely on them. "What about Dumbledore?"

"He's busy. We can be back in half an hour and talk to him then," James assured him. "It can't be anything too urgent or he'd have told us sooner."

"I wonder what the mission involving my brother could be?" Sirius murmured nervously.

 _~.~_

 _You don't have to close your eyes_

 _'Cause it's standing right_

 _before you_

 _~.~_

The picnic the day before had gone well once Remus had discovered Hermione's love of reading. Discussing books was like a safety net to him and the conversation flowed well. The picnic had lasted until it was too dark to stay outside and the pair had gathered everything up and moved the picnic and conversation to the kitchen table until late into the night.

As much as he wanted to make a move and kiss Hermione, there were two things stopping him. Firstly, his lycanthropy. On the rare chance that Hermione would be fine with that, she certainly wouldn't be fine to find out she was his mate.

Remus hadn't even known until he researched the pull that he felt between them. He hadn't admitted to his friends either, otherwise they'd try even harder to push the two together.

He had known Hermione for three weeks and his feelings were growing so quickly. If he lost her, it'd hurt too much and he wondered if it was better just to stay friends. She might be more willing to be friends with a werewolf than be the mate of one.

Hermione was quiet that evening. Remus curled up on the sofa with a book and a packet of maltesers, knowing that Hermione would not be able to keep what was bothering her in for long.

"Remus, are you sure you want to hang out tonight?" she finally said. "I thought you'd have used this day to rest."

"Rest? I'm not tired," Remus said, setting his book aside.

"Oh. I thought… since you transformed yesterday, you'd need a couple of days to recover," Hermione replied, fiddling with the cuff of her top. "If you need that, we could do this in a couple of days. I don't want you to… are you okay?"

"You know what I am?" Remus asked, panic rising inside of him. He didn't know whether to run now or wait and hear her out. Any second she'd tell him that she was disgusted by him and would leave. No one wanted a werewolf for a partner.

"I overheard it being discussed," Hermione replied, reaching for Remus' hand and holding it tight. "I just want to make sure you're alright."

"And you're okay with what I am?" Remus found himself asking.

"Of course I… Remus, did you think I was going to be disgusted or suddenly hate you?"

"I'm not sure. It's why I never said anything before," Remus admitted softly.

Hermione shifted closer to him. "Remus, I've spent almost a month getting to know you and I don't see how lycanthropy could change my opinion of you in the slightest. It just means once a month we can't be together."

"To...together?" Remus wasn't sure what he had missed in the conversation, but the word made him feel hopeful.

Hermione smiled widely. "I realised that if I didn't bring it up, you never would have. When we looked at each other, there was this… this thing. A pull. A need to go over to you, to see who you were. I didn't understand until I had researched. I'm your mate, aren't I?"

"You knew and you're still spending time with me?"

Hermione nodded. "Of course, Remus."

"I don't know if I can make you happy," Remus insisted.

"Remus, we're not even in a relationship _yet_ and I'm happier than I've ever been before. You're already making me happy."

"I can't hold down a job. I can't take you to fancy restaurants or buy you things like James buys Lily. You deserve better."

Hermione's smile faded and she moved closer to Remus. "The universe chose me as your mate. It decided that I'm the right person for you and I believe it chose right. I don't want big gestures, expensive restaurants, or overpriced jewels. That's not me."

"Are you sure?" Remus asked softly.

"I'd be happier at home with a home-cooked meal and some candles," Hermione insisted. "Walks in the park together and trips to museums - some are free to enter. All that matters to me are the small things like how you treat me and if you remember our anniversary."

Remus grinned. "We have one?"

"We will do," Hermione insisted, returning his grin. "I'm your mate, so let's give this a shot. Let's just focus on the small things and everything will fall into place."

"The problem with people is they forget that most of the time it's the small things that count," Remus murmured.

"Exactly," Hermione insisted. "Let's make sure that we don't _ever_ make that mistake."

She shifted towards him and Remus' eyes dropped to her lips. She was watching him hopefully, expectantly and he moved closer.

Her eyes closed and Remus' fingers came up to her cheek, caressing her skin. This was his mate. She had secrets—she wouldn't tell them anything about her past that would give away her identity—but he didn't care about any of that.

For once, he was at peace with the wolf inside him as he closed the distance between them. His lips were inches from hers and he could feel her warm breath on his skin and he struggled to breath properly. He was certain that Hermione could hear his heart pounding against his chest.

Her hand moved from his, finding it's way to his shoulder and it was Hermione who closed the distance between their lips for the first time. Remus struggled to catch his breath after the chaste kiss they shared and when he met Hermione's slightly glazed eyes, he knew he wasn't the only one who needed to do that again.

The second and third time and all the times after that, Remus was too lost to know who initiated each kiss. He just knew he never wanted to stop.

"Do you think if we stand here long enough, we'll get to watch free porn?"

And thanks to Sirius' arrival, it was time to stop.

 _~.~_

 _I want to live like this forever_

 _~.~_

Hermione was curled up in Remus' arms when she saw the flash of light. She turned, her gaze falling on Lily who was grinning widely. The photo was taken out of the camera and passed over to Hermione before she could complain.

"I couldn't help myself," Lily admitted, gesturing to the photos surrounding her on the blanket. "I want to hold on to these memories. What if—"

"None of that," James insisted. "It's Hermione's birthday and we're not going to do the 'what if' thing."

Hermione smiled as she glanced at the picture. Her and Remus hadn't been together that long, but it was perfect. They looked so happy in the picture together. They just fit.

She wondered if Harry had known the truth about what she was to Remus. He had told her to _'be happy with him'_ so he must have had an idea. She wondered if that was the reason Harry chose her over everyone else for the mission. After all, Harry always put everyone else's happiness above his own.

"I'm keeping this," Hermione said, setting the picture next to her and causing Lily to pout before grabbing the camera and snapping another photo.

"Hey, maybe I want to keep it," Remus insisted, pretending to grab for the photo. Hermione pulled it out of the way.

"Well, when we share a room, we'll both get to have the picture," she replied, boldly.

"Moony is going to get laid," Sirius said proudly.

Lily turned the camera on Sirius and snapped a picture, setting it down next to her and Hermione looked around at her friends. No, she thought. They were more like family to her. She couldn't lie to them any longer.

"Guys," she began nervously. "I think it's about time I tell you where I'm really from." She reached for the small bag beside her. There were a handful of pictures inside. Some were Harry's pictures and there was the old picture of the Order.

She had her own pictures to share.

* * *

 **Thanks to Bex, Lizzy, Sam and anyone else who helped/betaed. :)**

 **Word count: 2999**


End file.
